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Monday, May 12, 2003
Dagupan isolation area plan revived
THE Department of Health (DOH) revived its plan to make the annex building of the Region I Medical Center in Dagupan City an isolation center for probable Sars patients.
RIMC Chief Dr. Jesus Canto said the revival of the plan to convert the idle Doņa Teodora Manaois Memorial Hospital (RIMC annex building) in Bonuan Binloc into an isolation area is due to the ongoing entry of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the country.
"We are just preparing for the eventuality just in case the incidence of Sars cases rise so that we will not be caught flatfooted," he said, adding that rehabilitation works on the building have been ongoing.
But Canto lamented the growing opposition to the plan, particularly from the business community, because of fear of the negative impact on their respective business endeavors.
Even the city government officials seem to be having second thoughts, he said.
There are three isolation and confinement centers - the Ilocos Training and Medical Center in San Fernando City (La Union), the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and the San Lazaro Hospital in Metro Manila.
Canto, however, expressed fear that should the three centers be filled, there would be no more isolation center to contain the possible spread of the Sars virus.
He said expatriates who come home from Sars-infected nations could undergo domestic or voluntary isolation at their respective houses if they have fever but there is no one who would make a regular observation of their situation and apply remedial medicines that would strengthen their body resistance.
"This is the reason we are preparing for such incidents because there will be health workers who would attend to them," he pointed out.
At home, he said, there is no assurance that family members could adopt the necessary strict sanitary measures to avoid the possible spread of the disease and this might lead to the fast increase of Sars cases, so like in other countries.
"I could not blame them because even us health workers have the feeling of resistance although it is our responsibility," Canto said.
He disclosed that there have been some resistance among the health workers at the RIMC that they tried to avoid patients suffering from tuberculosis and ordinary respiratory tract infection.
"What if one member of your family is affected?" he averred.
Due to this, Canto initiated the conduct of a seminar on health workers' commitment to public service.
"This should also be done by the other hospitals," he said.
DOH Regional Director Dr. Eduardo Janairo and epidemiologist Dr. Revelyn Cayabyab said the fight now is not against Sars but the paranoia of the people.
"We had contained the disease in Alcala so we can contain the virus in other areas if it emerges," Janairo said.
Cayabyab said the Sars patients and probable Sars victims need everybody's help and they should not be ostracized.
Canto urged the business community to understand the purpose of having an isolation area in Dagupan, even as he said that he would talk with the city officials.
He pointed out that the RIMC annex building would be made an observation center for suspected or probable Sars victims and once they have been confirmed to have been affected "then we will refer them to hospitals that have the facilities for the confinement of Sars patients." FPM
(May 12, 2003 issue)
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